CHAPTER 2

Aurora still had nightmares. The red room still burned. But Princess Snow was always there to soothe her and Mulan was always within earshot. Aurora wondered what Mulan dreamed of. Princess Snow had confided that she herself dreamed of her husband, and of how much she missed him. They'd only recently been revealed to each other – the curse's power sounded terrifying – and now they'd been torn apart again.

Mulan never gasped awake with worry or terror. She never flung her sword out in horror as she woke. She awoke quick, calm, and ready. Aurora admired that.

"I learned quickly," was all Mulan said when Aurora commented on it. "Sometimes it's the difference between life and death."

Aurora missed proper food. She missed eating beside her parents, roasted birds and honeyed breads, and the comfort of a table. She'd broken out of sleep to greet her love, only to have him snatched away again, and all that she'd once held dear had crumbled into so much dust years before. She missed simply greeting her parents with a smile and a kiss. She missed bed linens and her chests of clothing and dancing to the lute's sweet song.

She missed Philip.

She saw the same look in Mulan's eyes that she saw when she stared at her own reflection in the river.

Mulan's expression tightened when Aurora's gaze lifted to catch hers. Aurora wanted to ask, to seek out the warrior's memories of Philip. But Mulan hoarded those images, those feelings, and Aurora guarded her own just as carefully.

They'd both loved the prince. And they both kept their memories of him close and secret.

But still Aurora wondered.

The night was freezing cold. Aurora tugged the blanket tighter around herself. She hoped that her teeth would stop chattering soon. She didn't want her tears to freeze on her face.

There was movement nearby and Mulan, who always slept within easy distance of Aurora, moved closer. Her breath was warm on Aurora's shoulder. Aurora closed her eyes.

She saw Philip, in his coal-black tunic and hose. He was smiling at her. She was wearing her dress again, but with the sensible shoes and the long coat that Mulan had found for her. She knew, somehow, that if she looked back, she'd see her horse, with Princess Snow's bow and arrow attached to the saddle.

"But there's no point looking back, is there?" Philip said softly as he gathered her into his arms.

Aurora closed her eyes and let several tears fall.

In the morning, Mulan was still lying beside her.

Aurora's arrows were flying truer than before. She often hit the target that Princess Snow had set up. Snow told her she was doing so well and the truth shone in her eyes. Aurora smiled back. She remembered learning in her castle's grounds; she remembered how cool the breeze had been and how the sun had always threatened to shine in her eyes. She remembered her mother's approval and her ladies-in-waiting embroidering beneath the nearby trees, their giggles reaching her ears as she pulled the bowstring taut.

Now she had Mulan, a strong shadow at her shoulder and something like pride in her eyes when Aurora hit the target. Aurora's heart warmed. She looked more and more to Mulan now and Mulan looked back.

"There is a way for a soul consumed by a wraith to be reunited with its body."

Aurora's heart jumped painfully at Captain Jones' words and she quickly turned to face him, her expression shocked and wide with hope. His gaze was fixed firmly on her as her insides churned. Philip could be returned to her? How? And why was the Captain only telling her now? She felt breathless and heartsick.

Those with answers and a true heart will tell you without pause, Philip's voice whispered from her memories. What does he want in exchange?

Aurora tried not to look too eager, hard as it was, and drew herself up straight. "Who told you this?"

Captain Jones smirked, just a little. "Somebody who knows. Somebody with the power to make it happen."

Of course. Somebody with magic, like Cora. Aurora bit her bottom lip, her heart hammering fast. Perhaps the Captain meant to spirit her away, maybe he wanted to use her to hurt her friends. He clearly had no problem using Philip. Aurora's heart ached; oh, she knew the risks, but the idea that Philip could be alive once more… She shook her head sharply.

"Magic."

"Indeed. The very best kind."

"I…Captain, I need to…please."

She pushed past him, needing time to think, time to grieve and hope, despite his verbal protests. He grabbed for her arm but Aurora feinted out of his grasp and Emma had already caught sight of them and was glaring at the Captain. Aurora's head whirled and she felt more than saw Mulan melt out of the shadows to join her. Mulan didn't ask what was wrong; she waited. It was a great relief.

Finally able to catch her breath – her mind a bubbling stew of Philip and magic and him opening his eyes again – Aurora managed to form words.

"He said…he said that a wraith's victim could live again, that their soul and body could be reunited."

Her tone was raw and Mulan stilled, a shade of that rawness flickering briefly in her eyes. She understood, of course she did, and a little of that terribly confused feeling welled-up again in Aurora.

"I know it's magic and that it could be Cora, but if there's a chance..."

She didn't finish the sentence and Mulan didn't finish it for her. She drew a pace nearer, so that they wouldn't be overheard, and her hand hovered, before dropping down empty. Aurora felt its touch anyway.

"Philip would say he sounds like a snake in the grass," Mulan said at last, quiet and sure, not at all like she was sharing something secret and precious.

Aurora's smile was small and she made sure to draw closer still to Mulan. "He would."

They told Snow and Emma about the Captain's helpful offer and Snow and Emma agreed – if it was possible to rescue Philip, they'd do it without Captain Jones' help. They had to keep moving forward though, no matter how much it ached.

"There's no point in looking back, is there?"

Mulan slept much closer to Aurora that night.

Cora finally revealed herself the next day. There was a fierce wind and the Captain seemed to fight for both sides at once. Snow swung a staff and Emma cut the air with a sword, fury and something else in her eyes when she faced the Captain. Aurora suddenly thought of Philip, his determination to keep her safe, how he would have run into battle without a second thought. She retrieved Snow's bow and arrows and found Mulan at her side, sword drawn.

Mulan's eyes were fixed on her, something complex in her gaze. Aurora hesitated only for a second, then she stepped closer and pressed her lips to Mulan's. It was brief but Aurora poured so much into it. It was full of things that she couldn't express out loud. Mulan's breath seemed laboured when they parted, but her mouth curved upwards and she deflected the magic that Cora threw at them. They didn't need words. Aurora notched an arrow to her bow and aimed.

-the end